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Supermoon On November 14 Will Be Biggest in Almost 70 years

On November 14, you might notice the moon is looking bigger and brighter than usual, bigger than it has been in the last 68 years, say scientists. This month’s supermoon, will be the biggest so far of the 21st century. We won’t see its like again until 2034, so make sure you get a look.

A “supermoon” occurs when the moon becomes full on the same days as its perigee, which is the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to Earth. Supermoons generally appear to be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons.

While such moons occur around every 13 months, November’s is a special one. According to NASA, this month’s supermoon “becomes full within about two hours of perigee—arguably making it an extra-super moon.”

For viewers in eastern North America and Europe, the best view will likely be on the night of November 13, or the following night.

Early risers on the US West Coast should be able to spot it near its fullest at 5:52 a.m. PST, as the sun does not rise in that region until 6:25 a.m.

Moon spotters in Asia are perhaps the best placed to catch the moon at its absolute largest, with full moon occurring at 9:52 p.m. Hong Kong time, or 7:22 p.m. in India.

A month after the mega-supermoon, another supermoon will rise on December 14. It too will be a sight to behold, but it’ll also limit our opportunity to see something just as beautiful — a Geminid meteor shower.

The Geminid meteor shower, an annual event, got its name because the meteors look like they’re coming from the constellation of Gemini. But the supermoon’s brighter light will drastically reduce the number of meteors you’ll be able to see.

NASA says we’ll be fortunate if we see a dozen meteors in an hour at the shower’s peak, when normally the shower lights up the night sky with more than 100 meteors per hour.